Top 5 Mistakes On Cvs/resumes

ability to decipher the numbers and determine, for example, whether market abuse has occurred.

Knowing this, a jobseeker needs to write in black and white their ability to investigate problems and find resolutions.  Also, if the jobseeker is aware that this is the most important aspect of the job they are applying for then they need to put this evidence first.  When writing their CV the first line of their most recent career experience should have something along the lines of:

Currently investigating 30 concurrent compliance issues across all product lines for a US Investment Bank
This experience lends itself well to compliance monitoring work

Note: it might also be good to include the specific products that you are currently knowledgeable on.  This helps recruiters and employers to find you if they use keyword searching on a CV database.

I’m sure you understand the gist of what we’re saying.  The important point to take away is that providing facts, in the right order that match the job requirements, is essential in progressing your career.  A CV is a sales tool and should be utilised as such.  Always think of the reader.

4.  Spelling mistakes / poor grammar

Ok… I know you’ve heard it before.  So we are not going to flog a dead horse on this issue. HOWEVER, it still amazes us that (as a collective of ex-compliance recruiters) the frequency of spelling and grammar mistakes is so high, PARTICULARLY, at a senior level.  We think you can get by with perhaps one or two spelling mistakes or grammar mistakes on your CV, but we have seen dozens on some CV’s from Head’s of Compliance!

Spelling and grammar mistakes have three simple remedies:

1.  Use spell check on your Word Processor (i.e. Word or Open Office Writer), ensuring it is set to the correct language for your country.

2.  Get a friend you trust implicitly to check and re-check your CV.  If that friend works as an analyst or in a reporting role requiring lots of writing then they might spot mistakes.  Even better, get two or three friends to check and then you have really made sure there is nothing wrong.

3.  As you check your CV read it out loud slowly.  This technique will help you focus on what you have written and it will give you a good idea as to the flow of your writing.

Please, please, please try to avoid spelling and grammar mistakes.  For spelling use the spell check facility and look up a reputable dictionary if in doubt.  For grammar a good book you can buy to help is The Economists’ Style Guide.  If you prefer their free version it’s online.

5.  Generic Eric

This might seem like it covers old ground as it relates closely to point 1 (Opinions not facts) but it does have its own subtle place here.  Generic Eric is a troublesome soul.  His writing style is simple: write to ensure I cover all aspects of what others want to hear.  An excellent example would be a sentence in a profile statement such as:

“A good communicator who can work with a wide variety of people”

The rationale behind Generic Eric’s sentence is to make sure he writes something about ‘communication’ because you have to.  Eric wants to show he is a good communicator which is what all hiring managers want in the heady world of compliance.  Unfortunately, Generic Eric has filled the first half of his CV with this bland, meaningless drivel.  The hiring manager or recruiter finds Eric’s CV and gets so bored of reading it that it goes to the Recycle Bin.

Our advice is to completely remove these pointless sentences and keep your CV as punchy and relevant as possible.  If it sounds generic then leave it out.  If you want to emphasise your ability to communicate then state a fact that might help you such as:

“Presented on complex compliance issues to rooms of between 10 and 50 people with no knowledge of compliance”

Here you have demonstrated a clear ability to communicate without using your own opinion or providing nonspecific information.

One of the key requirements of a CV is to make you stand out in a positive way.  Bear in mind that Henry Ford invented the division of labour that we now all love/hate today.  As a society of specialists it should be easy to make our experience unique and for us to create CV’s that SELL those all important distinctive characteristics.

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